I had to return a dryer to the company after it broke and they sent me a new one. They sent a call tag for UPS so they can pick it up. One problem, no UPS drop off anywhere around here and (according to UPS) nearest one is Covington, approximately 15 miles away. So since UPS comes to Attica daily anyhow to SOME business, I asked them if they could arrange a pick up here.
Sure, but that will cost me an extra $11.99 for them to come to my business to pick it up. Uh, I don't think so. I'm returning a broken item, the company should be paying for its return, they sent a call tag, it's not my fault there is no UPS in my town.
So the lady on the phone at UPS tells me all I have to do is flag down a UPS driver and give him the box then.
"Uh, really? You want me to drive around town for God only knows how long, hunting for a UPS truck at only $4.08 per gallon for gas? Why can't you just send a driver here, if they are in town anyway going to another business what is the difference?"
"Well ma'am we don't know who is covering that area."
To which I reply, "well they work for YOU, and YOU send them out to deliver in this town, how about calling them and sending them here."
"We can't do that ma'am you'll have to just flag down a driver instead, or have the company pay for the pick-up."
"I will do that." and I hang up.
Seriously folks what is wrong with this picture? Why should I have to pay extra when 1. They are in the area anyway, and 2. I'm returning something that was broken to the company who is paying for shipping back to them.
I called the company and explained the UPS fiasco and they took care of it. (Good thing for them, I'm so not the mood to argue with anyone else)
I see them driving around town making deliveries daily.UPS delivers to me at least monthly anyway, but they drop and run so fast I can't catch them. They are worse than my door darting yorkie! I can't catch her either. Do you think UPS would give me some cell numbers of the drivers to call them myself? Probably not. Privacy you know.
I thought we were past Pony Express. I didn't realize the company they work for has no way to reach them but if I pay only $11.99 miraculously they can arrange to get someone here. Hey it's THEIR gas I'm saving by telling them to send someone who is already in the area. I didn't need a special trip out here, it can wait a couple days.
I wonder how many people are in Attica, driving around looking for a UPS driver so they can give him a box to take for them? Next time I see someone driving around and looking up and down streets I'll assume that's what they are doing. Yes, hunting for the UPS man.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Sometimes you just have to speak your mind...
I woke up this morning feeling pretty pleased with myself. It's the weekend and one son was invited to a sleep over at a friends, while my oldest son asked if his friend could spend the night here. I said it was okay.
All was going well, there was a marathon of "Super Nanny" shows on TV that I was watching and commenting on. "If that was my kid, I'd kill them." I remarked while watching a child hit, spit at and scream at his mother.
Of course my kids know that when I say "kill" I wouldn't actually commit MURDER... but their friends don't know me that well. I kind of like it that way.
My son's friend was sort of feeling me out to see how far I'd actually go and posed a few questions like that at me. I guess I must've scared him with the answers because he became sort of somber after that.
After a while the kids were in and out, my son offered to watch a movie. His friend has his nose stuck in his DS (handheld game) and wasn't interested. My son offered up all the favorite movies..his friend wasn't interested..still playing his DS and ignorning my son. That's when I started to get a little ticked off and had to open my mouth.
I teased his friend, told him it was time to quit screen sucking and do something with his friend, after all isn't that why he wanted to spend the night here? Then I got some answers I wasn't quite prepared to hear.
"I wanted to spend the night because I can stay up late here." He says.
"Oh well in that case, it's bedtime." I reply.
He started teasing back and says "Well what if I want to go home?"
To which my mouth kicked in and I couldn't stop it... I said ... "Don't let the door hit you in the ass."
About then more kids come in and he asked the other kid if he could spend the night at his house tonight, to which the other kids says, let's go ask my mom... and that's when I could resist no longer, I spewed exactly what I was thinking. I can't remember the exact words I used but I said something like that was the rudest thing I'd ever seen. You are supposed to be spending the night here, and when you get another offer you just dump your friend? Then all the kids started to leave and as they were leaving I said "The door will be locking in a few minutes" to which the boy replied, "well can you wait a bit so I can get my stuff?" and went next door except for my son who was trying to watch the movie that he wanted his friend to watch with him. He sat silently through it all and I was afraid I had embarrassed him to death. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you Drew, but I just had to say something." I apologized.
"That's okay Mom, I don't mind. He's being a jerk." He replied.
Later Lane comes back home from next door crying, saying he can't sleep over there when Drew's friend can't make up his mind what he wants to do and is outside upset. I told him to tell him to come in and talk to me.
The boy comes in, but won't come in to face me, I made him come all the way in and sit on the couch so we could have a talk.
I told him a friend is someone who wants to spend time with you, have fun with you and play with you and doesn't leave you when they get a better offer because that is just rude and hurts feelings. A friend is someone that has your back and worries about you and your feelings. I told him Lane is upset because he is afraid he will be outside all night and doesn't want something bad to happen to him. I asked him why he would leave one friend for the other and he said something about because Drew doesn't have such and such game and the other boy does.
That didn't go over well. I asked him if he liked his friends or his friends toys? He told me he liked both. Then I said, so we are too boring for you? He said he didn't mean it like that. I told him well that is how it sounded.
Then he said he has planned to spend the night at the other boys first but the other's boys mom said no.
That really didn't go over well with me. "So we are second best?" I replied? I told him that I don't like being second best and it's rude and hurts feelings when your friends just want to hang with you because of what you have, and only because their first plans fell through. Then I told him that he isn't the first one to do this because it happens all the time with all the other kids and I cannot believe that they treat their friends this way! They are all too happy to ditch someone to have fun with someone else, and care nothing about their friends feelings. I told him if the situation were reversed and Drew was at your house and someone came over and said you can come to my house and he up and left you, how would you feel?
Then the tears started to flow, I had gotten this kid to cry and realize he was WRONG! "I didn't mean it that way." He replied through his sobs.
"Don't tell me, tell your friend Drew." Who was still sitting in the chair watching the movie and not saying a word.
"I didn't mean it Drew." He cried, then Drew replied "It's okay."
I think the most amazing part of the entire conversation is that Drew said absolutely nothing during it. This is not like my kid who normally can't shut up.
Things settled down, the kid spent the night here, my other son managed to stay the entire night next door and all is well for now.
I hope the lesson for my kids is to let it be known when you have your feelings hurt and when other people are being rude and disrespectful to you to let them know about it. It's better to do that than to keep it in and be one crying your eyes out because your feelings are hurt.
All was going well, there was a marathon of "Super Nanny" shows on TV that I was watching and commenting on. "If that was my kid, I'd kill them." I remarked while watching a child hit, spit at and scream at his mother.
Of course my kids know that when I say "kill" I wouldn't actually commit MURDER... but their friends don't know me that well. I kind of like it that way.
My son's friend was sort of feeling me out to see how far I'd actually go and posed a few questions like that at me. I guess I must've scared him with the answers because he became sort of somber after that.
After a while the kids were in and out, my son offered to watch a movie. His friend has his nose stuck in his DS (handheld game) and wasn't interested. My son offered up all the favorite movies..his friend wasn't interested..still playing his DS and ignorning my son. That's when I started to get a little ticked off and had to open my mouth.
I teased his friend, told him it was time to quit screen sucking and do something with his friend, after all isn't that why he wanted to spend the night here? Then I got some answers I wasn't quite prepared to hear.
"I wanted to spend the night because I can stay up late here." He says.
"Oh well in that case, it's bedtime." I reply.
He started teasing back and says "Well what if I want to go home?"
To which my mouth kicked in and I couldn't stop it... I said ... "Don't let the door hit you in the ass."
About then more kids come in and he asked the other kid if he could spend the night at his house tonight, to which the other kids says, let's go ask my mom... and that's when I could resist no longer, I spewed exactly what I was thinking. I can't remember the exact words I used but I said something like that was the rudest thing I'd ever seen. You are supposed to be spending the night here, and when you get another offer you just dump your friend? Then all the kids started to leave and as they were leaving I said "The door will be locking in a few minutes" to which the boy replied, "well can you wait a bit so I can get my stuff?" and went next door except for my son who was trying to watch the movie that he wanted his friend to watch with him. He sat silently through it all and I was afraid I had embarrassed him to death. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you Drew, but I just had to say something." I apologized.
"That's okay Mom, I don't mind. He's being a jerk." He replied.
Later Lane comes back home from next door crying, saying he can't sleep over there when Drew's friend can't make up his mind what he wants to do and is outside upset. I told him to tell him to come in and talk to me.
The boy comes in, but won't come in to face me, I made him come all the way in and sit on the couch so we could have a talk.
I told him a friend is someone who wants to spend time with you, have fun with you and play with you and doesn't leave you when they get a better offer because that is just rude and hurts feelings. A friend is someone that has your back and worries about you and your feelings. I told him Lane is upset because he is afraid he will be outside all night and doesn't want something bad to happen to him. I asked him why he would leave one friend for the other and he said something about because Drew doesn't have such and such game and the other boy does.
That didn't go over well. I asked him if he liked his friends or his friends toys? He told me he liked both. Then I said, so we are too boring for you? He said he didn't mean it like that. I told him well that is how it sounded.
Then he said he has planned to spend the night at the other boys first but the other's boys mom said no.
That really didn't go over well with me. "So we are second best?" I replied? I told him that I don't like being second best and it's rude and hurts feelings when your friends just want to hang with you because of what you have, and only because their first plans fell through. Then I told him that he isn't the first one to do this because it happens all the time with all the other kids and I cannot believe that they treat their friends this way! They are all too happy to ditch someone to have fun with someone else, and care nothing about their friends feelings. I told him if the situation were reversed and Drew was at your house and someone came over and said you can come to my house and he up and left you, how would you feel?
Then the tears started to flow, I had gotten this kid to cry and realize he was WRONG! "I didn't mean it that way." He replied through his sobs.
"Don't tell me, tell your friend Drew." Who was still sitting in the chair watching the movie and not saying a word.
"I didn't mean it Drew." He cried, then Drew replied "It's okay."
I think the most amazing part of the entire conversation is that Drew said absolutely nothing during it. This is not like my kid who normally can't shut up.
Things settled down, the kid spent the night here, my other son managed to stay the entire night next door and all is well for now.
I hope the lesson for my kids is to let it be known when you have your feelings hurt and when other people are being rude and disrespectful to you to let them know about it. It's better to do that than to keep it in and be one crying your eyes out because your feelings are hurt.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
The Bladder Stone Bomber
You know, most of the time I just take life as it comes and don't have time to really reflect on how mindlessly insane it really is. Then when I tell someone about my day it dawns on me that even the most boring, mundane day in my life looks pretty crazy to someone else. For instance just today I was chatting on Facebook to a friend who asked how my day was. I'll bet she is regretting that question because I managed to tell her exactly how it was, giving no thought to how insane it sounded.
Last week my cat had surgery for bladder stones. My vet kindly saved the 8 stones she extracted during the surgery for me to show my kids since we homeschool. Face it, everything is a learning opportunity. When I picked up my kitty, I was handed a little vial containing bright red stones that looked like aquarium rocks. "Is the red due to blood?" I asked. "Yes, just put a little peroxide on them when you get home and they'll go back to being tan." says my vet.
I came home and showed my kids and husband the stones and we all felt bad for the poor kitty who was in trouble for peeing all over things in the house. I know those stones had to really hurt! The first thing out of my husbands mouth is "Hmmm, looks like bacon bits." I laughed and had to admit they did indeed resemble those imitation bacon bits you put on your salad. "Don't get them mixed up with the Baco's." he advised.
Fast forward to today when I saw the stones and since I had opened the vial up to show everyone the redness had turned to brown. I asked my son to bring me the peroxide so I could clean them up. Yes, I know some people clean normal things like dishes, clothes, etc. I clean bladder stones. I poured a little peroxide into the container, closed it and swirled it around a bit and set it down beside me on an end table.
Apparently I forgot rule number one with peroxide mixtures...do not put it into a closed container. A few minutes later KABOOM!!! It sounded like a shotgun blast! Peroxide and bladder stones flew everywhere in the room! I knew what had happened immediately, while the rest of my startled family and pets looked at me in shock. I couldn't help but laugh and then warned the kids, "This is why you don't put a lid on peroxide when you mix it up, like when we mix it with baking soda to de-skunk dogs." Today was a lesson in Chemistry apparently. We started with 8 bladder stones but could only manage to find 4 after the blast.
Yet, you'd think this was enough for one day right? You would be wrong because this little adventure brought out the creativity in my boys who got out the kit to make a rocket out of baking soda and vinegar. We got out the handy dandy "Mythbusters" kit and followed all the directions. Since my husband is home this week on vacation, why not include him on our science studies for school right? We rounded up the husband and kids and headed over to the ball park nearby to launch this rocket just in case it got a wild hair to go through someone's window or damage their car... my luck it would be mine.
On the way to the ballpark, we ran into a local police officer whose first question was "Why aren't you in school?" To which I replied, "Because we homeschool and this is our science project, wanna watch?" So he followed us in his squad car to the launch site. "I'm sorry, you'll need to sign a waiver in case something goes wrong and takes out your squad car officer." I joked. He smiled and waited for the fun to begin.
According to the directions you have the vinegar in the bottle and you have baking soda in a vial that you have to screw into the bottle with a pressurized type of stopper. Like the kind you use in pop bottles to keep the fizz in. The cop knew how this rocket worked and warned me that I had to be fast. I was working as fast as I could, holding the bottle sideways so the baking soda didn't mix with the vinegar until I was ready. Too late, as I was trying to get the vial screwed in, the baking soda and vinegar mixed and I was warned to put it down and get back NOW!
Well it launched! But because I didn't get the plug into it very well, it didn't go very high. But hey it worked! Much less dangerous than past experiments.
I considered this experiment a success despite the lack of height we were expecting. You see, I know just enough about science to be dangerous. I found out by accident as a kid that my glasses can start fires in the sunshine. Thinking like a homeschool mom trying to teach her kids something and reasoning it's actually teaching them fire prevention so they learn not to do this by accident like I did...I showed them how it's done. We went outside on a sunny day and took some paper with us. Because my boys and I all have the same faulty eyes, we all have very strong magnifying glasses that we have to wear. I simply showed them how to take them off, get a ray of light aimed through them at the paper and watch a hole get burned into it. It was great fun and they enjoyed it and the lesson to NEVER DO THIS unless you're a contestant on "Survivor" and need to make fire. (Frankly I can't believe those people on Survivor haven't come up with this one before last year) We got so brave that we broke out the marshmallows to see if we could cook them with our glasses. We did! We browned the marshmallows and ate them! Ever see a public school do something this cool? I think not... probably due to insurance liablity or some such.
While doing Lane's 4H weather project, it suggested that we do some experiments with household items like showing how heat makes things rise. So we followed directions, using a yardstick balanced on something, you tape a paper bag to each side, opening side down and put a lamp under one side to see how heat makes it rise. We waited and waited... nothing. Unfortunately, this experiment doesn't take into account today's flourescent bulbs which don't put out much heat at all.
So to speed up the process I got out a lighter and held it under each side. It was a success, heat does indeed make things rise! I put it under each side, first the right, then the left, enjoying watching the yardstick gently tip up and down. It was going great and we had a great discussion about hot air balloons etc. Then one of the bags got a little too close the flame and caught fire. Since we were doing this experiment inside the house, I was having a little difficulty getting the yardstick and now flaming bag outside safely without catching the rest of the house on fire.
I made it out onto the screened in porch when my oldest son Drew runs to me with a huge bowl of water and throws it towards the flaming bag! Unfortunately in his zeal to put out the fire, he overshot the bag several feet and the water didn't even come close to the flames. Meanwhile my youngest son Lane comes up with water of his own, but it's in a cup the size of a shot glass, and was only about 1/2 full at that... "Geez Lane you could spit on it and get further!" I shouted. I ended up doing what I do best. I stomped out the fire with my foot. Easy peasy. Such drama!
I suppose being the wife of a volunteer firefighter makes this adventure all the more entertaining.
Now I know experiments go wrong, they did when I was in school, so I won't feel too bad about doing this stuff at home, but anyone who thinks homeschooling is a piece of cake let me warn you that science is not for sissies!
Last week my cat had surgery for bladder stones. My vet kindly saved the 8 stones she extracted during the surgery for me to show my kids since we homeschool. Face it, everything is a learning opportunity. When I picked up my kitty, I was handed a little vial containing bright red stones that looked like aquarium rocks. "Is the red due to blood?" I asked. "Yes, just put a little peroxide on them when you get home and they'll go back to being tan." says my vet.
I came home and showed my kids and husband the stones and we all felt bad for the poor kitty who was in trouble for peeing all over things in the house. I know those stones had to really hurt! The first thing out of my husbands mouth is "Hmmm, looks like bacon bits." I laughed and had to admit they did indeed resemble those imitation bacon bits you put on your salad. "Don't get them mixed up with the Baco's." he advised.
Fast forward to today when I saw the stones and since I had opened the vial up to show everyone the redness had turned to brown. I asked my son to bring me the peroxide so I could clean them up. Yes, I know some people clean normal things like dishes, clothes, etc. I clean bladder stones. I poured a little peroxide into the container, closed it and swirled it around a bit and set it down beside me on an end table.
Apparently I forgot rule number one with peroxide mixtures...do not put it into a closed container. A few minutes later KABOOM!!! It sounded like a shotgun blast! Peroxide and bladder stones flew everywhere in the room! I knew what had happened immediately, while the rest of my startled family and pets looked at me in shock. I couldn't help but laugh and then warned the kids, "This is why you don't put a lid on peroxide when you mix it up, like when we mix it with baking soda to de-skunk dogs." Today was a lesson in Chemistry apparently. We started with 8 bladder stones but could only manage to find 4 after the blast.
Yet, you'd think this was enough for one day right? You would be wrong because this little adventure brought out the creativity in my boys who got out the kit to make a rocket out of baking soda and vinegar. We got out the handy dandy "Mythbusters" kit and followed all the directions. Since my husband is home this week on vacation, why not include him on our science studies for school right? We rounded up the husband and kids and headed over to the ball park nearby to launch this rocket just in case it got a wild hair to go through someone's window or damage their car... my luck it would be mine.
On the way to the ballpark, we ran into a local police officer whose first question was "Why aren't you in school?" To which I replied, "Because we homeschool and this is our science project, wanna watch?" So he followed us in his squad car to the launch site. "I'm sorry, you'll need to sign a waiver in case something goes wrong and takes out your squad car officer." I joked. He smiled and waited for the fun to begin.
According to the directions you have the vinegar in the bottle and you have baking soda in a vial that you have to screw into the bottle with a pressurized type of stopper. Like the kind you use in pop bottles to keep the fizz in. The cop knew how this rocket worked and warned me that I had to be fast. I was working as fast as I could, holding the bottle sideways so the baking soda didn't mix with the vinegar until I was ready. Too late, as I was trying to get the vial screwed in, the baking soda and vinegar mixed and I was warned to put it down and get back NOW!
Well it launched! But because I didn't get the plug into it very well, it didn't go very high. But hey it worked! Much less dangerous than past experiments.
I considered this experiment a success despite the lack of height we were expecting. You see, I know just enough about science to be dangerous. I found out by accident as a kid that my glasses can start fires in the sunshine. Thinking like a homeschool mom trying to teach her kids something and reasoning it's actually teaching them fire prevention so they learn not to do this by accident like I did...I showed them how it's done. We went outside on a sunny day and took some paper with us. Because my boys and I all have the same faulty eyes, we all have very strong magnifying glasses that we have to wear. I simply showed them how to take them off, get a ray of light aimed through them at the paper and watch a hole get burned into it. It was great fun and they enjoyed it and the lesson to NEVER DO THIS unless you're a contestant on "Survivor" and need to make fire. (Frankly I can't believe those people on Survivor haven't come up with this one before last year) We got so brave that we broke out the marshmallows to see if we could cook them with our glasses. We did! We browned the marshmallows and ate them! Ever see a public school do something this cool? I think not... probably due to insurance liablity or some such.
While doing Lane's 4H weather project, it suggested that we do some experiments with household items like showing how heat makes things rise. So we followed directions, using a yardstick balanced on something, you tape a paper bag to each side, opening side down and put a lamp under one side to see how heat makes it rise. We waited and waited... nothing. Unfortunately, this experiment doesn't take into account today's flourescent bulbs which don't put out much heat at all.
So to speed up the process I got out a lighter and held it under each side. It was a success, heat does indeed make things rise! I put it under each side, first the right, then the left, enjoying watching the yardstick gently tip up and down. It was going great and we had a great discussion about hot air balloons etc. Then one of the bags got a little too close the flame and caught fire. Since we were doing this experiment inside the house, I was having a little difficulty getting the yardstick and now flaming bag outside safely without catching the rest of the house on fire.
I made it out onto the screened in porch when my oldest son Drew runs to me with a huge bowl of water and throws it towards the flaming bag! Unfortunately in his zeal to put out the fire, he overshot the bag several feet and the water didn't even come close to the flames. Meanwhile my youngest son Lane comes up with water of his own, but it's in a cup the size of a shot glass, and was only about 1/2 full at that... "Geez Lane you could spit on it and get further!" I shouted. I ended up doing what I do best. I stomped out the fire with my foot. Easy peasy. Such drama!
I suppose being the wife of a volunteer firefighter makes this adventure all the more entertaining.
Now I know experiments go wrong, they did when I was in school, so I won't feel too bad about doing this stuff at home, but anyone who thinks homeschooling is a piece of cake let me warn you that science is not for sissies!
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